When Holt asked if Bill Clinton would have a “real policy role” or be limited to chatter around the kitchen table, Hillary Clinton replied that “it’ll start at the kitchen table; we’ll see how it goes from there.”

Her response came across partly as playful banter between spouses — the audience applauded her “we’ll see how it goes” line — but it also left the impression that Bill Clinton could be fairly active in his wife’s administration.

Fine. But that puts him in a different category. He’s not just a supportive husband who happens to be a former president. He’s potentially a future White House representative and someone who could have the next president’s ear as she shapes economic policy. That means he ought to be vetted and that Hillary Clinton’s decision to include him among her advisers should be scrutinized.

If another Democratic candidate said that he or she planned to deploy Bill Clinton as an emissary and to consult him on economics, that choice would surely get a thorough examination from the press. The standard should be no different in this case.

The door was already ajar for the media to parse Bill Clinton’s history in this race. Hillary Clinton just kicked it wide open.